1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a garden and lawn weed remover tool that enables more complete removal of the weed with minimal invasion into the soil or turf. More specifically, the invention relates to a triangular, xe2x80x9cVxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cLxe2x80x9d shaped pointed blade that pierces the earth adjacent to the root of a weed, where the blade is driven when a user pushed on attached foot operated cross member. Once inserted into the ground, the shaft of the remover tool is used as an angled lever to provide mechanical advantage to the blade to leverage the weed root and loosen it for easy removal. As the blade is removed, a spring-loaded clearing mechanism removes earth and debris from the blade, leaving the earth to its original position.
2. Related Art
Weed removal tools, such as garden trowels, forked-handheld digging devices and footstep removal mechanisms, have long been used to remove weeds from lawns and gardens. Numerous varieties of these tools are found in literature and in the marketplace. Sobol (U.S. Pat. No. 1,931,773) describes a handheld digging fork used to remove dandelions, where the user is positioned close to a dandelion to insert a handheld fork-tipped bar into the ground adjacent to the dandelion root to loosen the soil and enable removal of the weed. Alternatively, Green (U.S. Pat. No. 5,188,340) teaches a weed extraction device that uses a step operation while standing, similar to using a shovel, to insert a coring device that is then twisted to cut a cone shaped plug around the weed for removal.
A weed removal tool is described by Tam (U.S. Pub. No.: US 2001/0045239 A1) that includes a telescoping handle attached to a combination footstep and fulcrum arm to enable insertion of a blade in the ground. The blade has a notched fork-style end. When the handle is moved backward, the footstep arm moves back against the top of the ground and acts as a fulcrum to enable leverage on the blade by moving the handle backward. The leveraging action enables the forked tip of the blade to grasp the weed root and scoop the weed forward up out of the ground. In each of these examples, should dirt adhere to the blade, the user must scrape the blade against another object or with another, separate tool, and return the removed soil to its original location.
Until now, of the many examples of weed removal tools that exist today, none have the properties for noninvasive complete removal of the weed, while being easy to use and self-cleaning.
In accordance with the present invention, a weed extractor device includes a blade shaped and angled so that, when pushed into the ground by use of a foot platform, the blade surrounds the root of a weed on at least on two sides and angles inward toward the root for a minimum of disturbance to the ground. The invented device further comprises a dual-function blade cleaning and soil-retaining mechanism, and preferably has an angled handle for improved comfort and leverage by the user. The main body of the tool is a shank length that may have a cross section similar to a xe2x80x9cVxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cLxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cUxe2x80x9d that preferably transitions smoothly into the xe2x80x9cVxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cLxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cUxe2x80x9d shaped blade, wherein such blade shapes fall within the general category of a xe2x80x9ccurvedxe2x80x9d shape that defines a space for receiving the weed and its root and a small amount of dirt around the root. The blade xe2x80x9ccurvexe2x80x9d is preferably a curve from side edge to side edge. While the blade is preferably attached to the main body of the tool at an angle that assists in insertion of the blade into the soil at an angle, the blade is most preferably straight along its spine, that is, without a blade curve in the longitudinal direction as such a longitudinal curve could interfere with smooth, low-resistance insertion into the ground.
According to the current invention, the weed extractor tool is used to remove a wide variety of weed and its root, with minimal disturbance to the surrounding soil and turf. The blade cleaning mechanism reduces the buildup of soil and turf on the blade that will otherwise create a larger hole and holds loose soil in place during removal of the tool from the ground, resulting in less disturbance of the soil.
According to the current invention, the point of the weed extractor is placed near the center of the weed, and the foot-operated cross member is depressed to insert the blade point into the earth adjacent to the weeds"" root. The blade cleaning mechanism abuts the earth top surface, where its spring-loaded backing is compressed as the blade enters the ground. The handle is pulled back a short distance to leverage the blade and induce the soil and weed to rise upward a finite distance into a mound. The entire or substantially the entire weed may be lifted out of the loosened dirt mound. Then, the tool may be entirely lifted out of the loosened mound. As the tool is removed from the mound, the blade cleaning mechanism scrapes the blade clean, driven by the compressed spring, thus inducing the soil to remain in place with minimal disturbance to the weeded area.
Thus, the tool may be seen as a weed loosening, rather than a digging, device, because a minimum of dirt is disturbed, and even less is lifted up out of its original place in the ground. The invented tool works on the theory that it is better to loosen the root from the dirt and lift the root from the ground, than to dig up a large plug of dirt with the weed in it. This reduces the disturbance to the ground and surrounding plants, and results in a pulled weed that does not have a large clod of dirt on the root. Consequently, the user does not have to refill large holes, does not have to shake the weed or hit it against another object to try to dislodge the dirt before disposing of the weed. Thus, all the way around, this is a lower-impact a lower-effort weed removal system than prior art approaches.